But the fourth one stayed up!

In Poll, Most Say Abandon Flooded Areas

WASHINGTON (AP) -- More than half the people in this country say the flooded areas of New Orleans lying below sea level should be abandoned and rebuilt on higher ground.

Hmmm... On one hand New Orleans is a priceless cultural gem. On the other it's, ya know, on the coast and below sea level.

I say rebuild it on the nearest land that's above sea level (if there's one thing we have in America it's vast amounts of open land). New Orleans is still an invaluable seaport and of course the French Quarter can't be left to die. I'll help New New Orleans through its infancy by going to Mardis Gras next year, getting obnoxiously drunk, and tipping the waitresses profusely. I mean, it's the least I can do. Power to the people!

If you want to hear the most disturbing stories I've heard from New Orleans check this out (sorry, it's real player -- you can also hear it in windows media format here but only this Sunday, September 11th 2005, at 3pm eastern time). It's a free download or you can purchase the CD. If there's anyone who really wants to hear this and actually can't afford it, I'll buy it for you (send an email). If this link goes bad, which it will eventually, it's After the Flood, Episode 296.

I heard this on the way home Friday and I almost cried (out of anger, not sadness, though it's pretty sad too). I'm serious. I started looking into volunteering at the local Katrina shelter afterwards, it was that bad. Turns out right now they have too many donations and too many volunteers, the pilot light of my soul.

I'm all for opposing gratuitous government handouts but there's no reason for them to destroy refugee encampments by an underpass with a goddamn helicopter and there is no fucking excuse for allowing 8 white people to cross the barricade out of New Orleans when they have 80 black people with them. I am completely disgusted. I didn't want to believe race was a factor either, but it so obviously is. FUCK. Take a look around. This is our country, people. I'm as ashamed as you are.

Go listen to the show and you'll understand. I'm pissed off. No, I'm infuriated. This is supposed to be America goddamnit. I was raised to believe in this and I still do. In America we take care of our own. That's what we do.

***string of curses removed*** (The Logan Scribe is not in the best of moods right now, please check back later).

"Blessed are the people who loot"

"I feel like if I let myself start crying, the sobs will kill me"

"They betrayed us"

UPDATE: I ought to add that I'm mostly impressed with the behavior of the common people; my main beef is with the government. Yeah taking dumps all over the convention center is nasty and uncivilized, but the stories I've mostly heard are about known gang members patrolling crowds for rapists and stealing water from Rite Aid for babies. Us white folks sometimes forget that what we call a gang member is alot of times just an armed teenaged drug dealer -- certainly not a model citizen but neither someone who will tolerate rape. Alot of them are smart enough to not touch the drugs they sell.

There's always going to be a criminal element in any society. What's remarkable here is how well people behaved, outside of government people (I'm not sure which agency to lay blame on, so I'm not going to single one out). Bad news always sells better than good news, don't forget that.

I would also like to heap praise on The Coast Guard, who have been unanimously heroic in their actions. The FEMA guy who got recalled to Washington was replaced by a CG Admiral. They know how to manage a disaster and they're committed to saving lives. Last I heard the numbers they'd rescued were in the tens of thousands.